Sixth Generation’s Full Circle tour rolls into Dowagiac Saturday, Oct. 8.

Billed as a celebration of their time as the house band at The Skyliner at Five-Mile Corner, the band plays at 8 p.m. at Dowagiac Elks Lodge 889 on Hill Street at Riverside Drive.

Sixth Generation formed in Niles, home of Tommy James and the Shondells, during the summer of 1966.

By early spring 1967, the band was regularly booked for Saturday night dances at the The Skyliner north of Dowagiac — at that time, the most popular dance venue in southwestern Michigan, with WLS disc jockeys such as Dex Card serving as masters of ceremonies.

Hear or buy seven of their songs or tickets for the Elks Oct. 8 at their Web site, www.thesixthgeneration.org.

“This is the Time” and “Glitter and Gold” are catchy two-minute time capsules remastered from 1967 recordings.

The other five tunes were all recorded July 30 at Stairway East, the “great little studio” in Linthicum, Md., where the band practiced in January, February and March.

Those five tracks include covers of “Love Potion #9” (“we have a neat spin on it”) and Del Shannon’s “Runaway” and originals — “That was the Time,” a sort of sequel to their hit; “What Did I Know,” the sextet’s first foray into blues and a “departure for us”; and a ballad, “Smooth Sailin’ Tonight.”

Drummer Dave Walenga said Sunday in a phone interview from Maryland that the Dowagiac reunion will feature additional songs the reunited group has been developing, including “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones and some Motown.

Marie Needham, co-owner of The Skyliner, realized the group’s potential and became Sixth Generation’s manager.

She began booking the band across a wider area and arranged a May 18, 1967, recording session at Sound Studios in Chicago.

“This is the Time” was released by GMA Records in August 1967.

With “This Is The Time” heard regularly on radio stations from Chicago to Pittsburgh, the song went to No. 1 in several markets, even outpacing nationally-known artists.

On Sept. 9, 1967, it was the top seller at The Spin-It Record Shop, where James and Walenga both worked, ahead of Bobby Vee, who performed in downtown Dowagiac in 1993, the Box Tops, Bobbie Gentry, The Association, Wilson Pickett, The Doors, Van Morrison and Diana Ross and The Supremes.

College years found Sixth Generation with four members: guitarist John Dale, bassist Paul Davies and Walenga, joined by Fred Hulce on keyboards and vocals.

Sixth Generation, who shared stages with The Buckinghams, MItch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Kingsmen and The Box Tops, played high schools, colleges and dances across Michigan and northern Indiana until the musicians went their separate ways after an appearance at Buchanan American Legion Post 51 in December 1970 — where they kicked off their reunion tour July 16 and Facebook-fueled induction into Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame with the highest vote total, 34.9 percent.

“For not playing for 40 years, I think we did okay,” Walenga confided afterward.

In its current reincarnation, Sixth Generation consists of its original members: Fred Bachman, vocals; John Dale, guitar; Paul Davies, bass; Ron Hamrick, keyboards; Fred Hulce, keyboards; and Dave Walenga, drums, nicknamed “Bingo” because he’s Ringo sans rings.

Dave and his wife Beverly are having their 39th wedding anniversary Oct. 14.

While the Beatles broke up the same year as Sixth Generation, “We had unfinished business,” Walenga said. “We weren’t ready to quit. There is a lot of music left in these guys,” who are enjoying a renaissance, not having a mid-life crisis.

To take advantage of harmonies with five vocalists, another tune they are developing is “in the Beach Boys wheelhouse,” Walenga said.

Sixth Generation recently played in Detroit and at Lake Tippecanoe, where fans came from as far away as Missouri.

The reaction typically has been, “You transported us back in time to the fun times when we were kids.”

“We want to be good for any age, not ‘They’re not bad for 60,’ ” said Walenga, adding that they have gone “high-tech,” using e-mail to ship parts to band members scattered across the country.

“We’re serious about this and we’ve got some good stuff,” he said. “And we’re having a ball. It will be a couple of hours and a ton of fun.”